Are importers and distributors responsible for patent infringement related to the products they import and distribute? This seemingly simple question has still only been partially answered in Vietnam, when the Superior People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City rendered a judgment on 28 July 2020 sending a case back to the first-instance court for a retrial.

Cambodia’s new Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism Law (the “2020 AML/CFT Law”) came into force in June 2020, abrogating the 2007 law of the same name and the accompanying sub-decree from 2013.The 2020 AML/CFT Law differs in three major ways from the 2007 law: (1) more specific definitions, (2) a requirement for reporting entities to introduce enhanced due diligence measures, and (3) increased penalties for non-compliance.Altered Definitions of Legal Terms

By recommendation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Thailand is preparing to amend the Anti-Money Laundering Act B.E. 2542 (1999) (AMLA) and the Counter Terrorism and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction Financing Act B.E. 2559 (2016) in order to be consistent with international standards. The public hearing on the draft acts was completed on June 15, 2020, and the laws will now continue through the cabinet and parliament. Key Draft Amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Act

On July 31, 2020, Thailand’s Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) imposed a host of new measures aimed at regulating the issuance of insurance policies and the conduct and duties of insurance agents and brokers.These measures are contained in two new notifications: the Notification re: Conditions Relating to the Issuing and Offering of Insurance Policies of Insurance Companies; and the Notification re: Duties of Life and Non-life Insurance Agents, Brokers, and Banks. The key provisions to note are identified below.General Duties of Insurance Companies

Several Thai government agencies have acted in concert to provide many taxpayers with an additional extension to the deadline for paying the 2020 land and building tax (LBT), and to clarify procedural matters for collecting the new tax, which is being instituted for the first time in 2020.

With interest in renewable and sustainable energy sources rapidly increasing worldwide, the nations of the Mekong region are beginning to incorporate innovative power generation options into their electrical grids and, more significantly, into their growth plans for the future. As a result, wind energy, formerly one of the least-utilized options in the hydro and solar dominated region, is beginning to see a considerable uptick in interest from investors and governments in the region alike.

In today’s fast-moving and highly competitive commercial environment, brand owners must ensure that their advertisements, while fulfilling their roles of promoting brands and increasing public recognition of products and services, do not violate any relevant laws or regulations. While this might seem straightforward and simple, advertising today can be a challenging task, and with advertisements instantly transmitted countrywide, failure to operate within the law can have consequences on a huge scale.